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McCain, Obama Spend Big To Get Tampa's Attention

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 19, 2008

WASHINGTON - Here's the latest evidence that Florida - and Tampa, especially - is a key presidential battleground: the amount of money Barack Obama and John McCain continue to spend on TV ads.

"Advertising represents reality," said Ken Goldstein, a professor with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and director of the Wisconsin Advertising Project.

Goldstein's group analyzed the combined $15.5 million spent by the two candidates on TV ads in what are seen as battleground states from Sept. 6-13, the week after the political conventions ended. Turns out that Florida ranked second only to Pennsylvania in dollars spent on ads - and that Tampa was the eighth busiest television market nationally on both candidates' list.

$7.8 million

McCain advertising spending nationwide

$1 million

Amount McCain spent in Florida

$7.76 million

Obama advertising nationwide

$1.3 million

Amount Obama spent in Florida

507

Number of times McCain ads aired in Tampa market

535

Number of times Obama ads aired in Tampa market

Note: Almost all of Obama's ads were paid for by the candidate's campaign while more than half of the McCain ads were aired with help from the Republican National Committee.

Billy House

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